Trump backs Graham’s sister for Senate seat

President Trump on Monday urged South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, as a temporary replacement to serve out the remainder of Graham’s Senate term.

“I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”

McMaster’s office said the governor would hold a 4 p.m. ET news conference Monday to announce his selection for the seat and to make remarks on Graham’s life and service. CBS News reported, citing sources, that McMaster will tap Nordone to fill the vacancy.

The appointee will serve until Graham’s current term expires in early January. Graham had also been seeking reelection in November.

A special Republican primary to determine Graham’s permanent successor on the ballot is scheduled for Aug. 11, The Guardian reported.

Graham, who died Saturday, never married and had no children. He had a close relationship with Nordone, shaped by family loss early in their lives. Their mother died in 1976, when Graham was 20 and Nordone was 12. Less than two years later, their father died of a heart attack. Graham, then 22, adopted his 13-year-old sister.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Graham’s fellow senator from the state, said on “CBS Mornings” earlier Monday that Nordone “would be a wonderful placeholder.”

McMaster’s announcement will determine who holds the seat for the final months of Graham’s term, while the party process moves ahead to choose who will run to succeed him more permanently.